Photos by Isabell Macrina
Levitov with her pieces
By Isabell Macrina
Hometown Weekly Reporter
The Needham Free Public Library (NFPL) invited local artist Barbara Levitov to display her pottery pieces this month for their art display. Levitov only chose about a dozen pieces for the display, wanting to show the works she was most proud of and not crowd the space, but each one speaks volumes on its own. The pieces are a combination of wheel thrown pieces and hand-built, constructed and sculpted from the clay without the wheel.
Quite a few of her displayed pieces were made in the raku style. Raku is a Japanese firing technique where a pottery piece is glazed, with specialized raku glaze, rapidly heated in the kiln and removed while glowing hot. Then it is placed in a container filled with combustible materials like sawdust. This technique creates unique, unpredictable, and striking designs due to the rapid cooling.
When asked why raku firing instead of one with more control, Levitov shared: “It’s always a surprise. You can dictate what you want but it will do its own thing.” The raku pieces gain a black clay body and parts with different glazes become metallic. Most of her pieces had a yellow crackle glaze with some white, blue, and green, but all with sections showing the dark body underneath.
One of these combined wheel thrown with hand building skills, a cake tray. It has an organic feeling with the wavy edge, and Levitov used a glass plate with bubbles that she had to create a textured surface.
Levitov first found a love for pottery on Martha’s Vineyard, where three expert potters led a workshop and taught her different ways to work with clay. She went on to take classes at the Needham Potters Shop and School, the Danforth Museum, and at Le Meridiana International School of Ceramics in Tuscany. This led to her gaining broad knowledge in the subject, different skills, and a deep passion for art.
Beyond the raku fired pieces, Levitov had a small jug face she made on display. Originating in 19th-century African American pottery traditions in the American South, the piece is, as described, a jug with a face sculpted on it. Levitov was inspired when she went to an art show and they had very small jug faces hanging from the treetops, so she made her own.
Levitov also chose pieces that show off the frozen pond technique, which is done by layering glazes on a piece, taking a sponge and lightly dabbing off layers. She was trying to see if she could do more with bowls, experimenting with making texture by cutting the clay surface, and making rough edges for an organic feel. Her neighbors and friends surrounded her and praised her work, which was a sight in and of itself besides the art.
The gorgeous display will be at Needham Free Public Library until Labor Day. Stop by if you have a chance to see the unique art pieces.
